The recent trends in handling hay in a cattle feeding operation is to process, by rolling and compressing, the hay into very large rolls. These large rolls will allow one single roll of hay to contain an amount equal to many small bales and will thus reduce the amount of labor required to effectively handle the hay during gathering, hauling, storing and feeding. Further, these large rolls of hay can be more effectively stored in the open air with a reduced loss of product due to spoiled or damaged hay.
One problem that develops due to the creation of these large rolls of hay is the provision of effective equipment for handling the large hay rolls, since their size will prevent individuals from handling the large rolls of hay.
A number of attempts have been made to develop apparatus which can be used in the handling of large hay rolls. However, the prior art apparatus require special vehicle means or require considerable modification to existing equipment.
Certain of the prior art apparatus is designed to elevate and load the large hay rolls onto vehicle transport means, with additional apparatus required for unrolling the bales in a cattle feeding operation.
Further, the prior art apparatus is complex in construction, expensive to manufacture, and often unreliable in operation.